New technologies have come into VR headsets and the terminology has started to spread as if everyone already knows what it is. Here are most of the terms you hear and their meaning
Apple VR is rumored to feature a 4K display for each eye, powerful M-series processors, and extensive user tracking. Its first version can cost up to $2,000.
The following terms are commonly applied to the headphone market and are used, at least in part, to describe future Apple headphone features. These terms are quite primitive, but at first glance they do not speak for themselves.
Augmented Reality or AR refers to software overlays that are separate from the real world. Consumers are experiencing augmented reality for the first time with products such as the Nintendo 3DS, PS Vita and Google Glass.
Apple is working hard to make augmented reality an integral part of its operating system. However, for the most part, it doesn’t go beyond a fun party gimmick.
Today, users can use augmented reality technology on their iPhone or iPad to experience various games or art installations. Apple has even added an AR route mode to Apple Maps, but it’s limited and requires users to hold their iPhone in the air to view information.
Augmented reality is different from mixed reality, which uses information from the real world to create a 3D overlay. AR is more passive, meaning it looks more like a heads-up game than a fully rendered video game.
For example, Pokemon Go will use LiDAR devices to find a flat surface and place Pokemon on it to interact with. This does not change the type of environment seen through the monitor – the program simply adds the creature regardless of what surrounds it.
Apple is expected to make limited use of augmented reality in its first virtual reality headset. This may allow some real-world images to be skipped to help guide the user through customization rather than providing a full AR experience.
Eye tracking uses the user’s precise eye movement to animate an avatar or control actions. This is different from pitted rendering or field of view.
For example, a VR headset with eye-tracking capability can be used to animate the eyes of an avatar in a virtual conference room. It can more realistically display the user’s emotions or gaze direction.
It’s also useful for knowing when the user is trying to peek out of their line of sight without turning their head. The VR experience can be customized to show an area or navigate menus with minimal user interaction.
The field of view is the area visible to the user’s eyes due to the available screen space. VR headsets typically have a very wide field of view, so the user feels like they are “inside” the environment rather than looking at the screen.
Because VR screens are so close to the user’s eyes, they take up the entire field of view. However, they are still physical objects that don’t move, so users can see the edges of the VR screen when looking for them.
Typically, users only use a small area of the screen in front of them, drawing less detail around the edges.
Foveated rendering allows VR headsets to control the rendered content based on the user’s gaze. This differs from eye tracking as the information is used to drive the rendering of the environment rather than the rendering of the avatar.
Instead of rendering the scene pixel-perfect across the entire VR screen, foveal rendering ensures that only the area in front of the eyes is fully rendered to save processing power.
Advanced algorithms determine where the user is most likely to search next in order to prepare more advanced rendering for other areas. This should ensure a smooth experience, although this is highly dependent on the processing power of the headset.
Hand and body tracking is self-explanatory, though how it’s implemented varies by headset. Early VR headsets relied on colored LEDs or multiple cameras around the room to track the user’s movements. However, this has led to the placement of sensors directly in the headphones.
The Apple VR headset is expected to work independently of other products, so it will be able to track the user’s movements without the need for an advanced external camera. Instead, the headset will be able to see the user through a camera or other sensors such as LiDAR.
Gyroscopes can also be used to track the position of the user’s head, and outward-facing LiDAR can map the immediate area of a room to avoid collisions with objects.
Controllers are also useful for keeping track of the user’s hands. Rumors about whether Apple will develop VR controllers are unclear. The company is likely confident in its headset’s ability to track hands without them.
Haptic feedback refers to the ability of a device to respond to software interactions through physical responses. Basically, think of a vibration motor in a controller that tells you when your playable character is damaged.
Apple uses haptic feedback in the iPhone to simulate key presses or other functions. When implemented correctly, users will notice haptic feedback as part of the interaction, but will not associate it with the vibration motor.
VR headsets may use haptic feedback to alert users to impending object collisions, or software may use it to simulate parts of a game. For example, haptic feedback can let users know that there is something behind them.
Haptic is also useful in virtual reality controllers. The controller may vibrate to indicate that its game sword has collided with an object, or it may highlight a menu item using a virtual pointer.
LiDAR (Light Direction and Ranging) is a sensor used to create a 3D representation of the physical environment for software. On an iPhone or iPad Pro, the LiDAR sensor is often used to quickly find flat surfaces for augmented reality.
In a virtual reality headset, LiDAR can be used to map a room so the software knows where objects are. This information can be used to help users avoid collisions when using the headset.
More advanced LiDAR applications can provide real-time information and therefore enable mixed reality capabilities. Alternatively, sensors can be used to track the user’s hands or body as they move.
Mixed reality is a more advanced technology that combines the real world with software in a virtual reality headset. Users will still be in a completely closed virtual world, but real world objects will be represented by virtual objects in real time.
If augmented reality is just software overlaid on the real world, then mixed reality is software that perceives the real world. For example, mixed reality sees the motorcycle you are repairing and determines exactly which part you are adjusting in real time, while augmented reality simply overlays a series of steps.
This is also different from virtual reality because the VR experience has absolutely no knowledge of the outside world. You are in a pre-rendered VR world and cannot see the world around you while playing.
Mixed reality requires more computing power than augmented or virtual reality since both technologies are used in real time. Imagine that you are turning your house into a jungle in virtual reality, but each piece of furniture in the simulation is represented by a tree or a bush. The pinnacle of AR and VR technologies.
Spatial Audio is an Apple-branded implementation of directional audio that takes into account the sound source, distance, and direction in 3D space. This way music or media using Spatial Audio will sound like it’s coming from everywhere, not just in front of you.
Apple uses existing Dolby audio formats to recreate sound in 3D. Spatial Audio differs from standard Dolby Atmos soundtracks, for example because Apple handles files differently. It can use the device’s gyroscope to allow the user to “roam” in 3D sound space with head tracking.
Spatial audio can play a key role in virtual reality. Current Apple headphones such as the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Max can take advantage of this format, but it’s not clear how Apple will handle VR audio if users don’t have AirPods.
Virtual Reality, or VR, is a fully encapsulated software experience that does not take into account the real world and is used without seeing it. The headset completely blocks the user’s view while the software is displayed on a monitor a few inches from the user’s eyes.
The software appears in a pre-rendered state with only a vague idea of the user’s location. The sensors on the headset can help alert the user to possible collisions with objects in the real world, but this does not affect the VR experience.
Virtual reality differs from augmented reality in that it completely takes over the user’s vision, and does not overlay information on the real world. If the headset can create a software rendering of the real world, taking into account the surrounding objects, then virtual reality becomes mixed reality.
Rumor has it that Apple is working on an operating system built for augmented and virtual reality. It will be used in its first VR headset and will be called RealityOS or xrOS.
The operating system can take on aspects of other Apple software, so users will immediately know how to interact with the software and menus. Apple is pushing developers to create augmented reality, so the steps towards virtual reality may be small.
While there are still hints of RealityOS in Apple’s iOS, the final name is expected to be xrOS, which stands for Augmented Reality Operating System. A single operating system for AR and VR could close the gap between Apple VR headsets and future AR glasses dubbed “Apple Glass”.
File compression on the Mac has been around for almost as long as the product line itself. Here are our best options for compressing files to the smallest possible size on macOS and iOS.
So, you prefer Apple Maps, but everyone else uses Google Maps. However, there are ways to open Google Maps links in Apple Maps – here’s how.
Your MacBook Pro is a workhorse for everyday use, so it makes sense to pack it in a protective bag that suits your lifestyle. Here are the best laptop bags to look out for, whether you’re on a crowded subway or taking a stroll outside.
Mac Pro can still be switched to Apple Silicon just like a Mac. The powerful M2 Pro Mac mini is here and it can rival towers.
Apple has added powerful new M2 Pro and M2 Max chips to the 14-inch MacBook Pro. Here’s how it compares to the 2022 13-inch MacBook Pro with M2.
Apple has added powerful new M2 Pro and M2 Max chips to the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro. Here’s how they compare to the M1 Max and M1 Pro models.
The M2 Pro Mac mini bridges the gap between entry-level and high-end models. Here’s how it compares to the reference Mac Studio.
On January 17, Apple updated the Mac mini with the M2 Apple Silicon processor and other features. Here’s how the new M2 and M2 Pro models compare to the 2020 M1 Mac mini.
Post time: Jan-30-2023